Real wedding · Waterbury, Connecticut
Lexy & Dillon
La Bella Vista
Burgundy gowns, a Catholic ceremony, and a dance floor that never emptied
- Venue
- La Bella Vista
- Location
- Waterbury, Connecticut
- Setting
- Estate & club
- Season
- Fall
- Photographs
- 25 selected
The quietest moment came first. In a bright living room, Lexy walked up behind an older man in a dark suit and tapped his shoulder. He turned, saw her in the gown and cathedral veil, and put a hand over his mouth. A bridesmaid in burgundy had laced her in minutes earlier under an arched window. Dillon's details were simple and personal: a ceremony program with both their names, a burgundy bow tie, and a white rose pinned to his lapel.
The Catholic ceremony filled a church lined with stained glass and a white marble altar. The couple lit a unity candle together while the priest read beside them, then came back up the aisle to cheers. From there the whole group headed out for portraits on wide lawns under big old trees. Bridesmaids in burgundy threw their bouquets up, groomsmen hoisted Dillon sideways, and the late sun turned Lexy's long veil into a sheet of light across the grass.
La Bella Vista was dressed for the season when they arrived, mums and pumpkins stacked on hay bales under the lit entrance. The first dance happened under draped fabric and warm sconces with the wedding party ringed around them. Then the gelato bar lit up, the uplighting went purple, and Lexy spent most of the night in the middle of the crowd with her friends, arms high, a drink cup in one hand.
Getting ready
A white room with big windows kept the morning simple and bright.
Details
Ceremony
Portraits
Late-day sun through old trees gave the veil shots their glow.
Celebration
Once the uplighting shifted to purple, the floor stayed full until the end.
Planning a wedding like this?
When the ceremony is at a church and the reception is across town, a park or garden stop in between gives you golden-hour portraits without eating into cocktail hour. In October, plan that stop for the hour before sunset, since sunset in Connecticut falls a little after 6 pm through mid-month. Ask the venue for a few minutes at the lit front entrance after dark for one last portrait.
